Some people are surprised to learn that retirement is a fairly modern idea, and it’s one you won’t find in the Bible. In Genesis 1, God introduces himself as a worker who creates, forms, plans, chooses, executes, and evaluates. Since God is a worker and we are made in his image, then work is at the core of who we are. While God rested from his work, he didn’t retire and neither should we.

Younger adults think work should offer more than tasks and income. It should be a realm for growth, fulfillment, discovery of gifts, and self-actualization. Older adults, on the other hand, think of work as a sad necessity, something to be endured for the sake of income and benefits. Both younger and older adults, though, need a concept of employment and authority that’s grounded in Scripture rather than culture.